How to Jump-start Performance by Resetting Team Behaviours

Teams, like families, adopt patterns of behaviour based on preference, familiarity and habit. Some are positive and lead to effective and efficient interactions. Others are counterproductive and impede optimal results. In aggregate, they define the ground rules for how a group of people get things done.

Examples of open and closed team ground rules are: only ideas are challenged, not the people who have them; everyone’s opinion must be heard before making a decision; the leader’s view is never to be challenged; and information is shared on a ‘needs to know’ basis.  

Group behaviours are most evident in meetings. It's fascinating to observe a team for the first time. You can identify its unwritten ground rules by what you see, hear and feel. How time is spent, what is said or not said and the emotions telegraphed through body language are all clues that point to established protocols.

Roles that people play are also a form of permissible behaviour. These are accepted character types that people take on. Common roles are the advocate (what do I like?), contrarian (what don’t I like), mediator (where are we aligned?) and navigator (where are we heading?).

The longer a team is together, the more established are its ground rules and the less likely they will change. In addition to not improving over time, they may become less productive if circumstances change; challenged by new situations, issues can intensify and opportunities can be lost.

Resetting team ground rules is a way of jump-starting new mindsets, actions and behaviours to achieve better results. Usually, the refreshed ways of working foster better communication, more effectively use time and yield superior decisions. 

Here are the steps to resetting your team's ground rules:

1.   Get agreement from all members that the resetting exercise is worth investing in

2.   Identify current behaviours that support and hinder the team being effective and efficient

3.   Discuss and agree on new behaviours that will contribute to better results

4.   Review the ‘start, stop and continue’ behaviours on one list to check for alignment and make any final revisions

5.   Agree that everyone has permission to uphold the new ways of working

6.   Read the new ground rules at the beginning of team meetings – it is easier to follow them when they are fresh in people's minds

7.   Measure the team's demonstration of each behaviour at the end of each (or periodic) meetings, from 1 to 5, where 1 is poor and 5 is excellent

There are two easy approaches to selecting new behaviours: develop a list from scratch or review a master list of productive behaviours and ask people to select the ones they value. Agreeing on a few priority new behaviours is more beneficial than a long list of desirable ones.

Here are examples of productive team behaviours: 

• Agree on objectives or outcomes up front
• Voice any disagreements or concerns during the meeting
• Listen to people’s opinions without interrupting them
• Discuss the pros and cons of every option
• Provide and accept honest feedback
• Withhold judgement or comments when 'brainstorming' ideas until all ideas have been heard

A team's ground rules affect the outcomes it achieves. Resetting how people interact will identify what they do well, don't do well and new behaviours to help them do better. The exercise will build people's skills and boost performance. It may even feel like a fresh start.

Phil

10 Tips for Forming New Teams During Change

When riding on the subway this week, I noticed that the guy beside me had placed his bag on the seat between us. How rude to take an extra seat.

I scanned the subway car and saw other people doing the same thing. There were also people who held their bags on their laps not imposing on prime sitting real estate. 

Why were some people taking extra space and others not? Were some rude and others considerate, or were some just unaware of the impact of their actions? 

It is easy to judge people you don't know. This is what happens when new teams form during change. New relationships are formed between people who have different expectations and do things differently. Some team members attribute these differences as premeditated disparities while others see them as natural diversity.

The first approach assumes negative intent while the second assumes neutrality. One interpretation leads to division and entrenchment while the other leads to discussion and inquiry. 

Here are some tips to avoid misunderstandings and negative perceptions:

• Immediately schedule a meeting for people to connect
• Ask people to share their backgrounds including roles, accomplishments and aspirations—people forget
• Acknowledge that it is normal for people to do things differently given their different leaders and experiences
• Align people around a common purpose or goal
• Do something social. New and fun experiences leads to shared memories and fresh bonds
• Ask team members to create rules of engagement based on their values and definitions of high performing teams
• Insist on team members who are located in the same city to sit together
• Use video conference technology to engage remote team members—conference calls are not good enough
• Celebrate early successes as team accomplishments
• Hold frequent team meetings to align on goals, share information and manage any challenges

Change management is about helping people move from where they are to where they need to be with minimal disruption. Managing early team dynamics is essential for minimizing misunderstandings and tensions that get in the way of this transition and better performance.

The guy beside me on the subway stood up to give his seat to a senior citizen who got on our car. Maybe he wasn't so rude after all.

Phil

How to Energize People in a Round Table Discussion

I have been preparing to facilitate some round table discussions at a Leadership forum next Tuesday. 

Participants rotate through twenty-minute discussions with three different knowledge specialists. It's like speed dating for executive learning.

I have facilitated similar sessions and they are fun, loud and shorter than you would like. Staying focused in a carnival environment is a key success factor.

The forum is branded "Recharge" and this session is guaranteed to deliver. My topic is Leading Through Ambiguity and Change. I want to over-deliver on the experience. What can I do to super-charge the Recharge?

As a facilitator, you have many ways to set the mood. Your tone, body language and energy level directly effect people's thinking, feelings and behaviour.

Here are the approaches I will be taking to ignite my groups:

• Set energized expectations with my welcome
• Demonstrate open body language—hands open, good eye contact, facing people directly, smiling a lot
• Ask everyone to stand in a circle—it's easier to be energized when more mobile
• Start with a quick energizer activity: "Shake hands with the person beside you and say, "'I feel great' like you mean it!"—there is neuroscience behind this one, really 
• Add humour through stories
• Ensure everyone participates
• End with a crescendo!

We have a lot of influence on the environments in which we work. One way to recharge is to work with like-minded people who are energized by what they do. Just thinking about these energized discussions is already recharging me.

Phil